This invention pertains to snow shovels and, more particularly, to vehicle snow tools.
Snow shovels and other snow tools are useful to help dig out vehicles after a blizzard or large accumulation of snow, or when a vehicle gets stuck in snow. It is useful to carry snow shovels or other snow tools in vehicles. Unfortunately, many snow tools are large, bulky, take up valuable storage space, and do not readily fit in compact cars, sport utility vehicles, convertibles, and automobiles with small trunks.
Handheld portable snow tools, typically referred to as manual snow tools, are useful to remove snow, ice and slush from sidewalks and driveways. Over the years, various types of manual snow tools have been developed, such as snow shovels, pushers and scrapers. In the past, manual snow tools were constructed with a wooden handle and a steel or iron blade or scoop. Conventional snow tools are often heavy, awkward, and cumbersome to use. In an effort to improve the ease of use and decrease the weight of snow tools, snow tools have been made with aluminum handles and/or aluminum blades. Aluminum handles can be very slippery and difficult to hold when wet, such as when it snows or sleets. In modern times, part of the snow tools have been fabricated of plastic. Early snow tools with plastic blades were somewhat flimsy and did not wear well. Furthermore, snow tools with smooth, plastic rounded handles can also be slippery and difficult to hold when wet.
Small amounts of snow can be readily removed from sidewalks, stairs and driveways with a snow shovel. Snow shovels are good all around snow tools. Typically, snow shovels have a generally flat blade with a very slight curvature. Snow shovels are useful to shovel, lift, raise and throw light snow away from the sidewalk, stairs or driveway. If the snow is deep, heavy, or slushy, other types of snow tools are better, safer and more productive than standard snow shovels. Moreover, lifting heavy snow with a standard snow shovel may cause back injuries and sometimes heart problems for some people.
Snow pushers have a rounded or curved blade which are useful to push heavy or deep snow and slush away from sidewalks and drivers. Snow pushers can be very heavy. The deep curvature of pusher blades, however, is not generally useful to lift (raise) and throw snow and slush, which remain after the bulk of the snow and slush has been pushed away. Furthermore, many snowfalls, such as 21/2 inches to 5 inches of snow, are too deep to comfortably use only a snow shovel, but too shallow (not deep enough) to use only a snow pusher. Combination snow shovels and snow pushers can be useful for such purposes.
Scrapers are useful to scrape, cut and chop ice from sidewalks and driveways. Smaller scrapers are useful to scrape ice from vehicle windows and windshields. Ice can accumulate on sidewalks and driveways from ice storms or from snow which has melted during the day and freezes at night when the temperature drops. Icy sidewalks and driveways can be very dangerous and slippery. It is often difficult to walk and safely drive with full control on icy pavements. If snow falls and accumulates on the ice, the underlying layer of ice can be treacherous. Once the ice is chopped or scraped, it can be scooped, shoved and removed with a snow scoop.
The snow shovel and scoop are well known hand tools used primarily for shoveling, scooping and removing snow. An important consideration and concern with snow shovels and scoops are the strength to weight ratio. In the past, the stronger a snow shovel and scoop, the heavier it was, due to the amount of material mass required for rigidity. The weight of conventional iron and steel snow shovel blades and scoop blades is burdensome, awkward and inconvenient, especially if the person lifting the blade is young, elderly or not trained in proper lifting techniques. If the snow shovel blade and scoop blade is made too thin, it will bend under load. Therefore, conventional prior snow shovels and scoops have been constructed of thick iron or steel which provides a heavy awkward hand tool that is hefty and burdensome to operate.
A snow shovel blade, scoop blade and ice scraper blade, are usually subjected to impact forces and abrasion during use from impacted snow, ice, the underlying pavement, salt, etc., which can pit, corrode, or otherwise damage the snow shovel blade, scoop blade and ice scraper blade. Furthermore, salt used to melt ice and water from slush and melting snow can accelerate rust and degradation of conventional iron snow shovels, scoops, and ice scrapers. These factors can cause premature failure of the snow shovel, snow scoop, and ice scraper.
A snow shovel and scoop used primarily for snow removal is unique in that the consumer seeks a large, but lightweight, large shovel blade or scoop blade. For these reasons, in place of an iron or steel blade, some snow tools are manufactured with aluminum or plastic blades. While aluminum and plastic do not rust, they are much weaker and flimsier than iron and steel and often require greater thickness or reinforcement in order to withstand the loads, forces, stress and strain of scooping, shoveling and removing snow. Without reinforcement of an aluminum blade to prevent counter-flexing, such as stepping on the back of the blade, the aluminum blade can bend in half thereby ruining the tool.
Another problem with prior snow shovels and scoops is that the conventional heavy shaft and associated handle add enormous weight and bulkiness to the snow tool. Metal handles comprising metal shafts and/or metal handgrips, made of iron and steel have been used.
In an effort to improve the ease of use and decrease the weight of snow tools, snow tools have been made with aluminum handles (shafts) and/or aluminum blades. Aluminum handles can be very slippery, cold and difficult to hold when wet, such as when it snows or sleets.
Manufacturers often try to remedy the situation by using various other types of materials. While an iron shaft is strong, it can readily corrode due to moisture, snow and sleet. Furthermore, an iron or steel shaft is very cold due to the inability to compensate for the cold surrounding ambient temperature.
It has been common practice to make the shaft of the handle from wood and to rivet a section of wood to the handgrip. However, a problem with wood is that unless properly treated, water can rot the wood especially where the parts are fastened or coupled together. While it is possible to replace the wood, it is more likely that the snow tool will be discarded.
The blade, shaft and handgrip of a shovel can also be constructed from plastic which does not rot, rust, or retain cold as its wood and metal counterparts. However, the problem with plastic is strength. Early snow tools with plastic blades were somewhat flimsy and did not wear well. A plastic shaft may flex causing the shaft to bend since the shaft becomes a fulcrum point during use. Furthermore, snow tools with smooth, rounded handles can also be slippery and difficult to hold when wet. A blade made of plastic further presents a number of problems, including control of flexing and wear.
In order to manually remove snow from around the tires of vehicles in parking lots, streets, driveways, and pavements, different amounts of effort are often required to remove the snow, depending on the depth, temperature, fluffiness, amounts of slush, water, ice and texture of the snow to be removed. Sometimes, women, children and older men may become overburdened and frustrated by the weight and bulkiness of a regular snow pusher when removing light snow. Also, regular snow pushers can be too heavy, awkward and cumbersome to shovel, lift and throw light snow for some women, children, and older men. On the other hand, conventional flat snow shovels are usually too large to store in compact cars, sport utility vehicles, convertibles and automobiles with small trunks.
It is therefore, desirable to develop an improved snow tool for vehicles which overcomes most, if not all, of the preceding problems.